Drew Brees to receive President's Medal at Tulane commencement

Tulane President Scott Cowen made the announcement Friday

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will receive the President's Medal at Tulane University's commencement May 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Tulane President Scott Cowen announced Friday morning,

Jazz clarinetist Michael White also will receive a President's Medal, while honorary degrees will be given to Carnegie Corporation President Vartan Gregorian, World Bicycle Relief founder F. K. Day and musician, and keynote speaker, Wynton Marsalis, Cowen wrote in a Tulane Talk post on the university's website.

"These individuals have enjoyed extraordinary success in their professional careers but have found their greatest fulfillment in serving others," Cowen wrote. "To me, this is the true purpose of education and why public service is such a vital part of Tulane's curriculum. Our emphasis on public service, social entrepreneurship and civic engagement has sometimes been misinterpreted as anti-wealth, anti-business or anti-success."

In addition to leading the Saints to their first Super Bowl victory and the most successful stretch of football in the franchise's history, Brees' foundation, the Brees Dream Foundation, has committed more than $20 million to charitable causes and academic institutions in New Orleans.